Toshiba Tall Ships Festival at Dana Point – Squareriggers, Schooners and Giant Squid

The Toshiba Tall Ships Festival at Dana Point this weekend offers a wide range of attractions and activities.  It all starts with a parade of ships and schooners at sunset this evening.  The Brig Pilgrim, the replica of the ship made famous by Richard Henry Dana, has … Continue reading

Franklin Records Found as Search Resumes for Franklin’s Ships

An update to a previous post. An Inuit family says a box that was hidden for over 80 years in the Arctic contains documents linked to the doomed Franklin expedition and has just turned the box over to the the Canadian Conservation … Continue reading

Tight Race for Favorite Tug of 2010 – W.O. Decker in the Lead

The Waterford Tugboat Roundup 2010 starts tomorrow with a Parade of  Tugs past the Albany, NY waterfront before all return to Waterford at the junction of the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers for a  full weekend of competitions and entertainment.   The Roundup Favorite Tug of 2010 competition … Continue reading

US Marines Recapture M/V Magellan Star from Somali Pirates

Twenty-four U.S. Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Maritime Raid Force stormed the German-owned containership M/V Magellan Star today, capturing the pirates that had seized control of the ship in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia.   No … Continue reading

34th Annual Wooden Boat Festival, Townsend WA

This sounds like a fantastic festival for anyone near Townsend, Washington.  The 34th Annual Wooden Boat Festival, which starts tomorrow and runs through the weekend, features almost 300 wooden vessels on display ranging from small wherries to the 133′ classic schooner Adventuress. Ahoy for Wooden Boat Festival: Tents … Continue reading

The Pacific Sun and the Pacific Star: “Lessons Learnt and Heeded” – Or Maybe Not

The video of unsecured furniture flying about on the P&O cruise ship, Pacific Sun, is all over the internet.  A Carnival spokesperson (Carnival owns P&O) is quoted as saying, “The incident was fully investigated and lessons learnt have been heeded, including the … Continue reading

P&O Cruise Ship, Pacific Sun, in Heavy Seas – Alarming Video

Cruise ship operators would prefer that their passengers exist in a hermetically sealed bubble, where they can enjoy the sea without ever having to be exposed to it;  where their passengers can look up occasionally from drinking, dining and spending money in the onboard … Continue reading

New York Harbor Weekend – Racing Tug Boats and Red Tide

It was a beautiful and busy weekend in New York harbor.  On Sunday, I missed the 18th Annual Running of the Great North River Tugboat Race & Competition but Will over at the Tugster blog has some great photos.   … Continue reading

Energy from Waves in Oregon and Maine

Two projects are underway in Maine and Oregon to produce energy from ocean waves.   Ocean Renewable Power Company, in Maine, is using horizontal turbines to capture the energy of ebbing and flooding tides.  Initial tests have met or exceeded their targets … Continue reading

Baltic Shipwreck with “World’s Oldest Champagne” and now the “World’s Oldest Beer”

In July, we posted about a Baltic shipwreck on which divers found 30 bottles of champagne thought to pre-date the French Revolution. (see Baltic Bubbly – ‘World’s oldest champagne’)   On subsequent dives, smaller bottles have been recovered which apparently contain … Continue reading

Newport, RI Labor Day Festivities Rearranged Slightly by Earl

After Earl, some R.I. weekend events adjust schedules To give participants in the Museum of Yachting’s 31st annual Classic Yacht Regatta in Newport time to get their boats back in the water in the wake of the storm, races scheduled … Continue reading

Earl Delays Opening of Camden Festival; Some Events Cancelled at Gloucester

Hurricane Earl appears not to be likely to make landfall on the US East Coast but the expected winds and seas have rearranged some schedules. The Camden Windjammer Festival originally scheduled to start today has been postponed to 4PM on Saturday.   The Gloucester Schooner Festival has cancelled several outdoor activities but otherwise is on … Continue reading

Happy Merchant Navy Day!

Happy Merchant Navy Day!   In Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand today, September 3rd, is celebrated as Merchant Navy Day – an official day of remembrance of the sacrifices made by merchant mariners in war-time.  In World War I and World War II, over 45, 000 … Continue reading